ATHABASCA - On July 23, members of Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue Services joined firefighting crews from other departments in the region - including Boyle, Colinton, Rochester, Baptiste Lake, Richmond Park and Grassland - to battle a blaze that started at Athabasca’s historic Grand Union Hotel early that morning.
According to John Kokotilo, regional fire chief for Lac La Biche, two crew members from Lac La Biche, along with a ladder truck, attended the fire. These firefighters left Lac La Biche at 8:30 a.m. and returned at 4:50 p.m.
“Lac La Biche County Fire Rescue Services offered our 75-foot ladder truck when we were requested,” he told Lakeland This Week, explaining that this unit provided coverage of a water master stream to cover adjacent buildings and structures near the fire.
While firefighters were eventually able to get the massive blaze until control - an endeavour that Kokotilo says took most of the morning and afternoon - the 111-year-old building could not be saved and has since been torn down.
“Heavy equipment was required to rip down portions of the structure to get to the seat of the fire,” the fire chief stated.
A bit of history
The first version of the Grand Union hotel, built in Athabasca in 1903, suffered a devastating fire in 1913, after which it was rebuilt.
Historical records for the building from the Athabasca Archives confirm this was the second hotel to stand on the site after a large blaze destroyed 32 buildings, including the municipal offices, mounted police barracks, and the original Union.
In total, the fire destroyed a conservative estimate of $335,000 worth of property, or about $9 million today. Other publications reported 35 buildings lost, and more than $500,000 in damages.
Immediately after the 1913 fire, work began on rebuilding the hotel. A story in the Athabasca Times from Sept. 25, 1913, said the new plans had been revised and accepted, and included the three-storey height and brick veneer today’s residents were familiar with.
The building officially reopened on Jan. 26, 1914, under the management of Harry Campbell and his wife, who was only identified in the Times article as Mrs. Campbell. Travellers could stay at the luxurious hotel for $3 a day - around $80 in today’s world.
In 1998, the building was granted historical status. In 2003, a restoration effort began to return the building to its original look. Architect David Murray helped rejuvenate the building, which would later feature the beloved Trappers Pub and Heritage Grill.
Various community groups and outside parties owned the building during the 2000s, including a conglomerate of Rotarians, before the building was sold to owner Jaspal “Paul” Singh Boparai, who owned the hotel until firefighters knocked it down on July 23.
*With files from Cole Brennan
